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February 10, 2013

Zines
are a wonderful way to share your art and be part of a network of writers,
poets and visual artists. Mungbeing Magazine, is created by Mark who is the editor-in-chief and a really sweet guy. He is a man with many hats; all being artistic endeavors that he devotes his life and time to. The owner of a publishing company called Pelekinesis and a member of the avant garde rock band Wckr Spgt for the last 30 years.

The newest Issue #48: Devotion - "We
dedicate our lives and loves to so many things." I have three images
under the title: Nautical Devotion. Blue Octopus, Blue Moon and Feeding
Frenzy are three works of mine in this issue. As an artist, you really need to
put yourself out there to create more exposure and seek out new fans for your
art. This magazine requires commitment to submitting new art every issue.
I feel extremely lucky to have been accepted as part of this collective
and meet every deadline as soon as it is announced. The myth of
irresponsible and scattered artist is just that, a myth. I am thankful
for all artist opportunities that come my way and respond in a responsible and consistent way. Having a full time job, not in the arts, generates
an importance for me to really focus on art opportunities that come my way. The reality is, I want to devote my life to creating art, and hope someday to be able to support myself doing so.

February 09, 2013

I am an
aquarium nerd; my dream being to visit every aquarium that exists in the world.
You never know what they have on exhibit, and the surprises are
wonderful. Take for example my recent trip to the Long Island Aquarium.
I had no idea that they were going to have the Flamboyant Cuttlefish,
three in fact that were born in captivity (third generation!). I was super impressed; I
stared at them, mesmerized, for quite some time.

The
cuttlefish is my favorite fish at the moment, last year it was the Nudibranch
family of sea creatures. They include sea cucumbers, sea slugs, and sea
angels. In a wonderful assortment of colors, from leopard stripes to
bright pinks, some wearing flowers on the outside of their bodies. Again,
the sea never ceases to amaze me. Yes, I am a scuba diver, but have not gone in
quite some time.

February 06, 2013

Working on a commissioned
piece is never easy, but getting paid for your art makes it totally worthwhile.
Not only do I build the canvas to suit the size the client wants, I also
deliver and hang the artwork. This is a full service commission and well
worth the effort. In the end we are all happy and I can go home thinking
that I did a good job.

To start, I invite the
potential buyer/s over to my studio. There they can view my current
projects and get an idea of what it is they would like to live with.
Later I will visit them and analyze the colors I am working with, such as
painted walls, and the couch color, where the painting will reside over.
After we agree on a size, I get to work. I purchase the canvas and
the stretchers to the size decided upon. I paint the background to the
piece on the floor. It is more of a paint rubbing and the floor is a
strong support, to build the sky. I let that dry and then stretch the
canvas on stretchers to finish the piece.

During the painting
process, I send the buyer updated photos to make sure I am going in a direction
they like. About 75% completed, I will have the buyer over to see the
colors in person and make sure that we are still heading in a good direction.
Upon completion, and if agreed upon, I deliver the piece for final
inspection. At that point it is hung, so that it does not sit in a corner
for weeks until someone has enough energy to go through the efforts. And
we are done, the painting is transforming the room, and warmth and color bring
the joy of a check in hand.

I then create a purchase receipt with a photo of the painting included
and send that off to the buyer as proof of sale and artist. That completed, I
also now have a copy for my taxes and art records of sales.